St Edmund King and Martyr

<p>St Edmund king and martyr supposedly killed by Danes (or "Vikings") in 869 was one of the pre-eminent saints of the middle ages; his cult was favoured and patronised by several English kings and spawned a rich array of visual literary musical and political artefacts. Celebrated throughout England especially at the abbey of Bury St Edmunds it also inspired separate cults in France Iceland and Italy. The essays in this collection offer a range of readings from a variety of disciplines - literature history music art history - and of sources - chronicles poems theological material - providing an overview of the multi-faceted nature of St Edmund's cult from the ninth century to the early modern period. They demonstrate the openness and dynamism of a medieval saint's cult showing how the saint's image could be used in many and changing contexts: Edmund's image was bent to various political and propagandistic ends often articulating conflicting messages and ideals negotiating identity politics and belief. CONTRIBUTORS: ANTHONY BALE CARL PHELPSTEAD ALISON FINLAY PAUL ANTONY HAYWARD LISA COLTON REBECCA PINNER A.S.G. EDWARDS ALEXANDRA GILLESPIE</p>